Growing Onion SetsPart 2

Dateline: 19 April 2016
(click pictures for enlarged views)

Last year I tried growing some Copra onion sets. The idea being, I would get them started, dig them up, put them in a garden clamp for the winter, then uncover them and replant in the spring. I wrote about it At This Link. 

The onions grew real well. That's them in the above picture, just before covering with straw and earth for the winter months.

I envisioned that I would open the clamp in the spring, and find the onions pretty well preserved. I would then trim the tops and they would look much like the Copra onion sets I buy from Dixondale Farms every year. Here's a picture showing bunches of onion sets like I usually buy...

So, this afternoon I went out and dug up my onions. And this is what I found...

That's not what I had hoped for. They are slimy and mostly rotted, and they stink. A few have a bit of solid bulb in them, and I'll try planting them to see what happens. 

Meanwhile, I'll be planting some Copra onion seeds directly in my garden to see if they might make a decent bulb before fall harvest. Apparently, some people can do this, but I've never heard of it in my area.

Fortunately, I also ordered some sets from Dixondale Farms back in January. They should be getting here any day now.